Infirm
by Homicidal Whispers
Summary: Eren makes a choice during a mission outside of the walls. The result is Armin getting injured. Filled with guilt, Eren decides to make it up to him. Eremin, mature content


It goes like this:

That Titan is an Abnormal. Eren, as a Titan, tends to be able to tell these things without any absolute proof. He can't say how he knows, but he's positive beyond doubt that it's true.

Armin is heading for it. Its back is turned to him and normally, Armin would be able to take it out easily. But this one is an Abnormal and it will take him by surprise. It'll be like Thomas all over again; Armin will be eaten before he even realizes what has happened.

Eren sees this all in an instant that lasts forever. He has a split second to make a decision. Armin gets closer to the Titan, it begins to turn, and Eren makes his choice.

Eren grabs Armin's grapple as it passes him by and tugs it back. With nothing to anchor it, it wraps around Armin's leg as he begins to fall, but Eren's hold jerks him back up. Armin screams; Eren hears the sick sound of bone snapping just as the Titan lunges at where Armin had been an instant before, where he would've still been.

The scream draws the rest of the team's attention and several of them come rushing forward. With so many now alert and everyone now aware that's it's an Abnormal, the Titan is easily taken care of. None of them had been there when they were needed, Eren thinks resentfully. Even now, no one bothers to check on Armin, despite his yell having called them in the first place. It's fine. Eren can protect Armin on his own.

It's difficult to retrieve Armin safely. There's no doubt that he's broken a bone; any unnecessary movements will only make the leg worse and cause him more pain. Even moving as slowly as he can afford, touching him as gently as he can, Armin whimpers and his face grows steadily paler. First, Eren gets Armin onto his palm so that he's no longer dangling by his broken leg. Then, carefully, he unravels the wire. This part takes a bit more time: Eren is very large. The wire is very tiny and fine in comparison.

Then there's the matter of safety. The goal of this excursion is to establish a base at about the quarter point to Wall Maria. There are two others behind them and they've been managing to push steadily forward. Still, that means that the fight isn't over yet. Eren needs to find somewhere safe to keep Armin, who looks ready to fall unconscious any moment now. He needs somewhere where Armin won't be jostled around too much.

There's really only one feasible option. He meets Armin's eyes and sees that he's already come to the same conclusion. Armin nods. Eren shuts his eyes and swallows his best friend.

-/-

No one had even tried to make Eren stay out of the infirmary. Armin lies on one of the many cots in the room, his leg encased in a splint that he'd need to keep on for a minimum of a month. Eren sits on the bed next to him, the way Armin always does when it is he that is injured. Eren can see why he does it; being this close, he can watch Armin's diaphragm rise and fall, can feel the heat of his skin, can even hear his heart beat if he listens carefully enough. It is a constant reminder that Armin will recover. He sits, one of Armin's hands clutched in both of his, and waits for him to wake up.

He'd been waiting for some time already; enough had passed that Levi had already come in and received a very informal, very terse repost. Eren had been annoyed by the encroachment, but the report had to be given and the alternative was leaving Armin's side. Levi had also brought news of his sister. Mikasa is safe, but leading the last of the soldiers still outside of the wall to finish establishing the base. She'd sent Eren a message to keep safe and take of Armin while she is gone.

Armin had been unconscious when a squad of soldiers had cut him out of Eren's body, but he'd come to a short time later. Then he had been shuttled off almost immediately to see to his broken bone and had passed out again getting the splint. Still, he's about to wake up – Eren can see it from the change in his breathing.

After a moment he does wake, but he's only given away by the slightest twitch of his fingers. Instead he remains perfectly still, feigning sleep until he's as aware of his surroundings as he can be without sight. Only then does he open his eyes. That is a habit he had developed when the three friends were living on their own after Wall Maria's destruction. It had saved them more than once.

"Is there anything wrong, aside from the leg?" Armin asks as he opens his eyes. He doesn't attempt to sit up, because he knows Eren will only push him back down.

"Just the leg," Eren confirms.

Armin nods, considering that. "I got off easily then," he says

Eren stares at him. "What're you talking about?" he asks. He points at Armin's leg with his free hand. "I did that to you!"

"Yes, you did," he answers. In the face of Eren's rising anger, he remains calm. "I didn't forget. You made the choice to break my leg instead of letting me die. Of course I understand."

"How can you just accept it?"

Armin sighs. He tugs on the hand still grasping Eren's, insistent. Eren tries to resist, but he can't. He never can when Armin's involved, and so he climbs into the bed next to Armin, slipping next to him on top of the sheets. "You made the same choice I would have. The right choice. There was no other way," he says. He speaks slowly, firmly, his eyes filled with conviction. Eren knows that Armin believes what he's saying – that he doesn't blame him – but it can't assuage his guilt.

"What does it matter if I'm stuck in bed for a few weeks? We won't be going out for another mission for at least that long anyway," he reasons. "Besides, I'm useful, but it's not for my physical skills. I'm here for my mind, and I can still use that with a broken leg. You haven't incapacitated me, so I wish you would stop feeling so guilty."

Eren lowers his head, fitting into the space at the junction of his neck and shoulder. "I'd like to see you in my position," he murmurs and Armin huffs a sound that might be laughter.

He wants to hug him or kiss him – wants to touch him physically to remind himself that what he did was for a reason. He did it to keep Armin alive, the most important thing. He doesn't move though, wary or the splint and afraid of putting him in anymore pain. Armin must sense the indecision because he says, "Just do it already, idiot."

Eren does. He reaches up, angling Armin's head down to meet his. Armin sighs as their lips meet and he presses back without hesitation. Side by side like this, the position is weird and borderline uncomfortable, but Eren doesn't dare move, not when he can feel the splint pressing into his leg.

"Wait, wait," Armin says, withdrawing. "Here." He moves, shifting back on the bed and pulling Eren with him.

"Are you sure?" he asks, skating his hands down Armin's body.

"If you're hurting me, I'll tell you," he answers impatiently. "Hurry up and kiss me again."

Without waiting for a response, Armin tugs him into a kiss, his mouth opening just slightly as he begins to tip backwards, taking Eren back with him. Eren licks into his mouth, curls his tongue around Armin's. He surrenders himself – his worry, his fear, his rage – to the taste of Armin's mouth. He can't help but just be content like this, reminded once more why he needs Armin so much. Armin, as impatient as always, slips his hands down Eren's chest, working idly on undoing the straps.

Armin begins sucking wet, insistent kisses into the side of his neck. It's going to leave a mark, Eren knows, but he allows it anyway, tipping his head to allow for more room. Armin succeeds in getting his straps unbuckled and with that obstacle out of the way, his shirt is quick to go. Eren sits up momentarily to pull it completely off and throw it to the side before working on doing the same for Armin.

"_Fuck_." Instantly on guard, Eren moves back like he'd been burned and stares.

"Shit, did I hurt you?" he asks. "What did I do?"

"It wasn't you," Armin says. Through the gritted teeth and the grimace of pain, he still manages to look amused at Eren's worrying. "The bed dipped suddenly is all. I'll be fine in a minute."

Eren's not entirely convinced that Armin's telling the truth, but there's nothing he can do about that. He can't fix Armin's leg either; no matter how much he wishes he could, he cannot transfer his healing abilities to another person. Instead, he sets to work kissing the vestiges of pain off of Armin's face. He plants a soft kiss on his furrowed eyebrows, his wrinkled nose, and his taught cheeks.

He takes Armin's mouth last. He starts of soft but intent, his hands skimming the bare skin of Armin's torso. Their lips slant together and part and there's a gentle touch of tongue. Then as Eren lowers himself to hover carefully over his body, he presses in deeper, fucking slowly into his mouth, tracing the underside of his gums and teeth in a way that Armin says is gross, but Eren knows he finds hot. Then he sucks Armin's tongue into his own mouth and moans.

"Not much time," Armin pants when they surface. He's looking flushed and embarrassed – he always does, no matter how many times they do this. "Nurse might come back."

"I want to get you off," Eren answers. "I want to make you come."

"How?"

Eren pauses. He stares down at the splint; he hadn't considered it before, but that thing won't even allow Armin's pants off. He can't rut into Armin the way he wants to because of that thing. Testing, he works at Armin's zipper and begins to shimmy the fabric down his leg. It doesn't get far before Armin has to stop him, but it's enough for Eren to work with. It's enough for him to get a spit-slicked hand down his underwear and take Armin's length in hand.

Normally, he likes to draw it out. He likes to tease Armin a bit; he likes to start with feather-light touches, to just lightly touch the head and slowly twist his hand down the shaft. He likes to grip loose on strokes down and tight on strokes up. He likes it when Armin covers his face in embarrassment, but that's never enough to cover the sounds he makes. He likes to hear the way Armin whimpers for more and begs for him to stop teasing and do it properly.

Now, though, he hasn't the time for that. Instead he strokes rough and fast the way Armin likes it. He never lasts too long when Eren does it like this, but they're on a tight schedule anyway. He can tell that already Armin's getting close, he can see it in the way Armin's keen gaze fogs over and his mouth falls open around a litany of platitudes.

Overcome by the sight, Eren can't help but kiss him again. It's not really a kiss though. It's more a mingling of breath and saliva. Eren murmurs encouragements into Armin's mouth, "Come on, Armin, come for me, I know you like it like this, don't you?" Armin can't say anything back anymore, not now. His moans get steadily louder and then suddenly he stops making any noise at all and he comes against Eren's fist.

Eren allows him several moments to recover before his own erection becomes unbearable. "How can I," he starts and then stops hopelessly, looking at the splint.

"No, it's fine, come here," Armin answers. He tugs Eren's body into the position he wants it and, propping himself up on one elbow, deftly undoes Eren's pants with one hand. Eren bites his lip as he kneels above Armin's chest. Armin's intent is obvious and he lies back, nudging Eren forward encouragingly.

They've never tried this before, but if Armin's suggesting it, then he must think he can handle it. Slowly, he thrusts forward and Armin's mouth falls open and accepts Eren's dick in. He can feel Armin struggling to figure out what to do with the parts of his mouth – where to keep his teeth, how to place his tongue, how to relax his throat. But just like with everything else, Armin's a quick study and picks it up easily.

Tentatively, he sucks and from there on out, Eren can't think of anything but how his cock feels inside the wet heat of Armin's mouth, down the constriction of his throat. He should try to take it slow, give Armin plenty of time to adjust, but that's not a possibility for him right now. Distantly, he hears Armin gagging, but he recovers and takes it better. He learns how to suck Eren down and curl his tongue around the head; he learns how to give just the faintest hint of teeth. Eren finds his hands twisted into Armin's soft hair and no idea when he put them there but Armin doesn't complain when he tugs, so he does it again.

He pulls out of Armin's mouth. His lips are red and sore-looking. As he watches, Armin licks his lips, like he's trying to capture the phantom taste of Eren on them. Eren's hand goes to his own dick and it only takes two quick strokes before he comes messily over Armin's face.

"Gross," Armin says, but he's laughing as he rubs it off with a corner of the blanket. Eren's still coming down from his high, but he's present enough to laugh back and he keeps laughing while they kiss again and again. Their motions slow, become more tired and drowsy. He feels like they should tidy up, at the very least get dressed, but neither of them have any motivation for that.

"It's been a long day," Eren rationalizes. "They'll cut us some slack, won't they?"

"Of course they won't," Armin answers. He aligns himself against Eren's body, careful to keep pressure off of his broken leg. "I don't care. For now, let's just sleep."

And so, for right then, they sleep.

-/-

**AN: **i apologize if this is shit i literally wrote it half asleep and haven't had the heart to check if it's any good yet.


End file.
